It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has delivered a perfect follow-up to one of the best episodes of all time. It’s Always Sunny season 17 has released three episodes so far, and although none of them have quite reached the level of all-time classics so far, “Mac & Dennis Become EMTs is an instant hit with audiences.
With twenty years and dozens of episodes in the books, it’d be impossible to pin down an objective list of It’s Always Sunny’s best episodes. That said, there are a select few, be it “The Night Man Cometh” or “Charlie Work,” that generally make the list. This is the bar It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia will always be trying to surpass.
“Mac & Dennis Become EMTs” Works As A Successor To It’s Always Sunny Season 4’s “Sweet Dee Has A Heart Attack”
This New Episode Borrows Similar Elements From An It’s Always Sunny Classic
“Sweet Dee Has a Heart Attack” is an all-time classic of It’s Always Sunny, and it was fortunate enough to be immortalized by the famous meme of Charlie standing in front of the insane-looking board. While not quite on the level, season 17’s recent “Mac & Dennis Become EMTs” borrows some of the same beats.
The catalyst for Mac and Dennis’s plan to become EMTs is a man being hospitalized after consuming a ghost pepper at their bar, which is followed by Mac noting that someone in the Gang should finally learn how to perform CPR. This, of course, ties back to “Sweet Dee Has a Heart Attack,” which kicked off with its titular incident.
In that episode, it was notable that no one knew CPR, making it even funnier that none of the staff had learned the skill in nearly two decades. The season 4 classic saw Charlie and Mac begin corporate jobs to get health insurance, which fills a similar role to the EMT work for Mac and Dennis in the new one.
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In both episodes, the Gang begins experimenting with new substances to better their life. In “Sweet Dee Has a Heart Attack,” it’s Dennis and Dee taking chemical enhancements for a “healthier” lifestyle, whereas in “Mac & Dennis Become EMTs,” it’s microdosing on peppers that leads to volatile effects.
“Mac & Dennis Become EMTs” And “Sweet Dee Has A Heart Attack” Both Include Major TV & Movie Parodies
Charlie’s The Bear References Were Hard To Miss
Crucially, both episodes feature prominent TV and movie parodies. “Mac & Dennis Become EMTs” parodies The Bear for Charlie’s story, where he opens a kitchen in his apartment and demands that the Gang say, “Yes, Chef!“
Decades before starring as Frank in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Danny DeVito played a supporting role in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
“Sweet Dee Has A Heart Attack” parodies A Beautiful Mind, a film that won Best Picture in 2001, as well as One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which, funnily enough, is another Best Picture-winner from 1975. Seventeen years apart, these It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia episodes use many of the same elements.
